I was building up to a big weekend bike ride (my first 100-mile trek), so on Friday night I thought it would be prudent to give my old road bike a quick service.

I know enough about bike maintenance to get me home if a tire bursts or the chain breaks, but that’s as far as my expertise goes. However, I’m also stubborn and like doing things by myself. If I have to wheel my bike into a repair shop, I feel like I’ve let myself down. A man should be able to repair his own bike – right?

#Fail

My gears had been slipping recently, and so with the aid of a YouTube video I set about tuning them up. Three hours later my bike was in a worse state than it was before I started. I now had a bike that I couldn’t cycle and a pair of oil-stained hands that, no matter how hard I scrubbed, wouldn’t come clean.

Needless to say, my big bike ride didn’t happen.

Dejected, I pushed my bike to the repair shop on Saturday morning. I spent five minutes explaining my problems with the mechanic, and he told me to grab a coffee at the café next door and he’d give me a shout as soon as he was finished.

Forty minutes later, the mechanic had fitted a new chain and gear set and adjusted my brakes. My bike feels like a new ride (in fact, it’s probably an improvement on its initial shop build).

The thing is, for quite a while now I’ve been riding a bike that was just OK. Now I’m riding a bike that I love and this is all thanks to the experts in my local bike repair shop.

But what’s this got to do with email marketing?

Speak to an Email Marketing Expert

Email marketing isn’t rocket science. In fact, it’s a bit like riding a bike – nearly anyone can do it with a little practice.

But if you want to get more out of your email marketing (in terms of reach, penetration and ROI), it’s always worth speaking to an expert.

The email marketing experts at iContact can help you optimize your lists, your campaigns and your strategies in much the same way my bike mechanic helped me improve my bike.

Even if you think your email marketing campaigns are running pretty sweetly, it’s always worth speaking to an expert to learn what you could be doing better.

Think about it: It might just take just one good idea to completely overhaul your marketing strategy, making you a more knowledgeable, efficient and successful email marketer.